Friday, July 25, 2008

Girls Camp and July Birthdays!

So I have not been so good at blogging this month but it has been a busy month for Jeff and I. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to girls camp with my ward and stake. I was asked back in March to be one of the camp leaders. At that point Jeff and I were not sure if we were still going to be in the ward so I committed to helping prepare the girls to go and as time got closer we would see if we were still around for me to go. May came around and I decided that I would commit to going. For those of you that do not know me very well I am not a very good camper. I am scared of bugs, I hate public restrooms, and I do not enjoy sleeping in tents. I love my bed at home. But for some reason I knew that the Lord wanted me to be at girls camp this year. I even talked my sister-in-law Heather into coming with me. Getting the girls all set and ready for camp was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Luckily Kristi, Heather, Sherri, and I had each others help. The two nights before camp I was only getting 3 hours of sleep each night but somehow the Lord helped me function through the day. The morning of camp we met at the church at 5:30a.m. At 6:30 we were all loaded up and ready to head towards Camp Bovay. Girls camp was near Houston and it took us about 3 hours to get there. We arrived checked in and started to set up our tents in 100 degree weather. I think all of us were miserable but we got our tents up as quickly as possible and headed to lunch in the air conditioned room. All I kept thinking at this point was Texas camping is nothing similar to what I experienced at girls camp in AZ. I am used to mountains, pine trees, cool weather where you have to have camp fires and sweatshirts on. I did not pack one pair of pants and I lived in basketball shorts the whole week. We as leaders joked that we were all Laman and Lemual and the girls were Nephi because we never heard them complain. Luckily there was a swimming pool with slides that we as leaders were able to swim in each morning. The pool was my saving grace. The first night at camp it rained during dinner very hard for about an hour. Yes the temperature dropped 25 degrees but at night when we were sleeping it was very humid. Luckily it did not rain any other day but a lot of the girls tents did not with stand the rain. Many girls had to sleep with semi wet sleeping bags that first night. As the week went on I think my body adjusted to the heat. Despite the heat we as leaders and the girls had fun. I felt the spirit so strong and my testimony was strengthened. My favorite night was the last night of camp when we had ward testimony meeting. I am amazed at how strong the girls in my ward are. I love each one of them and I feel honored to be able to work with them. I will never forget this experience! Thanks Grandma Jill for watching Brayden.

When I arrived home for girls camp I was greeted by an unhappy little boy who had a bad accident earlier in the week. I guess this is what happens when Mom goes to girls camp.



This picture was taken right after his accident. Brayden was riding his plastic scooter around one of the homes we are building. He was on the driveway and he lost control going downhill and landed face first in the rocks. Poor Baby!


Birthdays


July has been a month of many Birthdays in my family. I wanted to wish all of my family members a Happy Birthday and tell you that I am glad to have all of you in my life.

Merrilyn Kelly(Jeff's Aunt) July 6th- I admire the relationships you have with your children and how involved you are and have been with their schools and extra curricular activities.

Sue Anthon (Jeff's Aunt) July 12th- You are one of the hardest workers I know. You are talented in many areas and you always are willing to share your talents with others.

Hannele Mortensen (My Mother) July 22nd-Thanks for being such a good mother and friend to me. I couldn't have have asked for a better mother. I hope I can be as good of a mother to my children as you have been to me.

Jake Anthon (Jeff's cousin) July 22nd-Jake I met you before I met Jeff and I am eternally grateful that you and Alli introduced me to my eternal companion. I hope Dallin and Brayden will have the same relationship you and Jeff have.

Dallin Porter Anthon July 24th (Brayden's second cousin)- Dallin I had the privilege of seeing you come into this world. I can already tell you are a special young boy and I am excited to see you and Brayden grow together.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

4th of July

I always look forward to the 4th of July because I know it will be a day of family, friends, and fun! Since I studied American History in College I love quizzing people on American History Facts(especially on the 4th of July). I know that the Lord paved the way for our Founding Fathers to create this wonderful and amazing Country. I feel blessed to have been born and raised in the U.S.A. Last year my family came out from AZ to visit us in Texas. We watched the fireworks from my in-laws boat on the lake. It was really fun! This year Jeff and I decided to invite family and friends over to play games, swim, and play waterbasketball. The best part of the whole evening is we were able to walk right down the street and we had a perfect view of the fireworks. The weather was nice and cool and towards the end of the fireworks it started to sprinkle. I do have to admit I do not miss watching fireworks in 100 degree weather. I guess Texas can have its advantages. This picture is Brayden with his Grandma Jill. Brayden loves to swim. If we tell him we are going swimming he immediately goes to his room and gets his swimsuit and swim diapers. Brayden is becoming more adventurous. He will walk on the diving board but he refuses to jump off to Daddy.




















Brayden loves jumping on the trampoline. Grandma Jill, Aunt Shawna, and I enjoyed playing on the trampoline with Brayden. It is so good to take time out from everyday life and just play with Brayden.